Research projects

ASM - Additive Sandwich Manufacturing

A complete process chain for additive manufacturing of sandwich preforms will be developed und put into practice. The adaption of manufacturing processes, system engineering and materials will contribute to an expected reduction of production costs and the time-to-market for fiber-reinforced functional parts in excess of 25 per cent. BMBF 10/2016 - 09/2019

BeLeb

The project partners are joining forces in order to improve the effectiveness of known protective mechanisms for rotor blades significantly. This will result in reduced time and money invested in repairs and maintenance. BMWi, 12/2017 – 11/2020

Boulder detection

Application of hydro-acoustic methods for the detection of buried objects in the sea floor in the course of the planning of offshore wind farms and cable routes. BMWi, 12/2016 – 11/2019 more info

CertBench

The electrical properties of wind turbines are to be certified in accordance with the relevant guidelines on system test benches. The test methods can be validated by comparing the test bench results with the field data. BMWi, 06/2017 – 11/2019

EcoSwing

The aim of the EcoSwing project is to design and test the world's first superconductive and truly cost-saving generator for operation in a modern multi-megawatt turbine. The 40% reduction in weight compared to a standard, permanently excited synchronous generator makes it possible to achieve significant savings of 25% in the tower head mass. EU Horizon2020, 03/2015 - 02/2019

ETESIAN

High-resolution numerical methods for site simulation taking account of thermal stratification of the atmosphere will be transfered to the industrial process of site assessment. BMWi, 01/2016 – 12/2018

Future rotor blade concept

As part of the “Future rotor blade concept” research project, scientists at Fraunhofer IWES are developing new methods to test rotor blade prototypes that provide significantly more realistic data and allow a load-appropriate design to be produced. At the conclusion of the first phase of the research project, which will take five years in total, the infrastructure will be operational and the test methods developed to significantly reduce energy production costs. BMWi, EFRE (Land Bremen) 12/2015 - 11/2019

GreT

An integral tower concept will be developed and extensively examined in the support structure test center: for example, the buckling behavior will be tested on small- and large-scale braced test specimens subject to static axial and bending loads on the span field. BMWi, 03/2016 - 06/2019

HAPT - Highly Accelerated Pitch Bearing Test

In the HAPT research project researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES Nordwest work to establish the foundations for the further development of blade bearings. It is also aimed that the project results will allow the use of individual pitch control systems for load reduction – a primary goal of the manufacturers. BMWi, 01/2016 - 09/2020

Hil-GridCop

Within the project, a new test stand is being set up and a new testing methodology for minimal systems – comprising a high-speed generator and a converter system for WT - will be developed. The aim is to accelerate the procedure of electrical certification and to improve predictability of the market launch for new products. BMWi, 07/2017 - 06/2020

HiPE-WiND

In order to test the high-performance electronics used in wind turbines subject to combined climatic and electrical loading realistically, test and trial facilities for complete converters are being developed for turbines with outputs of up to 10 MW. For this reason, the causes of failure are also being researched and concepts for optimizing the robustness of power electronics are being developed and tested in experiments. BMWi, 10/2017 - 09/2020

LeikLine

LENAH

The aim of LENAH is a lifespan extension and lightweight construction optimisation thanks to nanomodified and hybrid material systems in rotor blades. New nanoparticle-modified plastics are being developed in order to improve further the robustness of rotor blades. Furthermore Hybrid laminates are being tested for their suitability for rotor blades. BMBF, 09/2015 - 08/2018

Malibu

Development of a simulation model for wind measurement campaigns employing a LiDAR buoy. The simulation makes it possible to quantify the buoy’s measurement uncertainties even prior to the measurement campaign. BMWi / PtJ, 07/2017 – 06/2020

MNm Torque

Within the scope of the project, the largest torque sensor ever to be calibrated at the Federal Physical-Technical Institute (PTB) has been installed on the nacelle test bench at the RWTH in Aachen. Using this new transfer standard, a calibration procedure is being tested which allows traceability for torque measurements of test sequences at the RWTH Aachen to the national standard. EMPIR, 09/2015 – 08/2018

MoBo

Development of a monitoring buoy for autonomous, large-scale measurement of environmental marine data for planning officers and the offshore economy. The buoy records the environmental parameters at sea with an extended range: up to a height of 200 meters and across the entire water column thanks to the use of a chain of sensors. BMWi, 12/2016 - 11/2019

MOD-CMS

For a new type of condition monitoring system (CMS), a functional prototype will be explored which monitors several components of a wind turbine in a holistic approach and detects faults and damage as early and as precisely as possible. BMWi, 01/2015 - 03/2019

MultiMonitor RB

This project aims to develop a comprehensive damage monitoring system for rotor blades and will utilize both acoustic and structural mechanical processes to pinpoint damage, detect damage to rotor blades at an early stage, and prevent system downtimes and yield losses. BMBF, 03/2017 – 02/2020

MuTIG

The aim of the project is to develop an innovative multi-terminal HDVC concept for the electrical connection of multiple offshore wind farms to the onshore transmission network. The first step is the analysis of the known connection options for offshore wind turbines via alternating current to direct current and point-to-point direct-current transmission systems. The results of the analysis are integrated in the design and development of a scaled demonstrator. BMWi, 10/2017 - 09/2020

NEWA

The new European Wind Energy Atlas project will contribute to a significant reduction of the cost of wind energy by mitigating risks related to the design and operation of large-scale wind turbines based on enhanced knowledge of wind conditions. By developing a new generation of models and methods for spatial planning and wind farm design, this aim will be reached. BMWi (ERANET+), 03/2015 - 02/2019

OptAnIce

Icing on wind turbines can cause severe loss of earnings. The partners of the project OptAn-Ice will improve the usage of anti-icing techniques on wind turbines blades for developers and operators. CFD simulations will be compared and validated with experimental testing results. Testing series with blade coatings will be conducted, and icing at a certain turbine type will be simulated.

OptiDesign

Development of an expanded design basis for offshore wind turbines with the aim of achieving a cost-effective design for support structures and minimizing risks when large rotors are employed. BMWi, 10/2016-09/2018

RAVE

The RAVE research initiative has accompanied the first German offshore wind park for research purpose right from the start and linked up the projects associated with the 12 offshore turbines. The main goals of the new research project are reduction of the levelized cost of energy and riskassessment. BMWi, 02/2017 – 01/2020

RealCoE

The project ReaLCoE aims at unleash the full potential of offshore wind energy to be in direct competition with conventional energy sources in electricity markets worldwide. Over the course of the project, the consortium will develop, install, demonstrate, operate and test a technology platform for the first prototype of a double-digit rated capacity turbine in a realistic offshore environment. EC Horizon 2020, 05/2018 – 09/2021

Seismic North-East

SEALANCE

A novel pile foundation technology for offshore support structures will be developed and examined at the support structure test center. First large-scale installation trials, followed by load-bearing tests will be carried out, including with prior cyclic loading. BMWi 10/2015 – 01/2019

SealOWT

The project aims at improving the design process of offshore support structures by considering sea ice loads in a coupled numerical analysis. This will be realized by combining advanced ice models with aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tools. BMWi, 05/2016 - 04/2019

SegBlaTe

The segmentation of very long and very thin rotor blades offers great potential for facilitating their production, transport, and installation. An innovative joining technique is now being tested on segmented blades. The joining technique is being analyzed and its structural mechanics validated on a 20-meter- and a 50-meter-long rotor blade. BMWi, 01/2017 - 12/2019

Self-Actuating Flaps for wind turbines

Stall reduces the turbine’s performance. In order to equip wind turbines against this effect, scientists at Fraunhofer IWES are collaborating with industry and research partners to test the use of mechanisms known as self-actuating flaps. Therefore, 2D flow simulations will be performed, followed by wind tunnel tests and computational estimations of yield increases and load reductions for complete 3D blades. Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, 11/2017 – 07/2018

Smart Blades II

The investigation of passive technologies for load reduction by means of both experimental activities at test-rig and measurements on a test turbine with Bend-Twist-Coupling blades are focus of the project. The results from the previous project were validated; moreover, new phenomena arising from the coupling are taken into account. BMWi, 06/2016 - 08/2019

Smart Wind Farms

Smart Wind Farms is aiming to develop a comprehensive software tool for an a priori optimisation of wind farms during the design phase. The second aspect of the project covers the development and testing of a control unit prototype for a wind farm, which uses models to keep energy production costs as low as possible whilst the farm is in operation. BMWi, 07/2015 - 12/2018

TANDEM

The aim of the TANDEM research project is to collect findings and develop methods for lowering the number of uncertainties when designing larger monopiles. Material savings are not the only source of cost advantages – savings are also possible in transport and installation, which in turn contribute to the reduction of energy production costs. BMWi, 08/2015 - 07/2018

Thermoflight

Concept study for the development of an optimized maintenance and inspection concept for offshore wind energy turbines with the aid of thermography and SHM technologies as nondestructive testing technology in combination with unmanned aerial vehicle carriers. PFAU, 01/2017 - 08/2018

TopWind

Active influencing and control of the flow dynamics of rotor blades has the potential to increase the energy yield of a wind turbine. The effect induced by fluid actuators integrated in structures is determined in flow simulations and considered in relation to the additional costs. BMWi, 8/2017 - 7/2020

Vibro CPTu

In-situ techniques for aiding vibration piling technology for the installation of very large monopiles are tested. The aim is to accelerate installation work, reduce noise emissions, and minimize pile damage during installation. The main focus is on the effects of vibration on soil properties, soil structure, and the final pile bearing capacity. BMWi, 10/2015 – 09/2018

WindRoot

This project aims to produce a wound rotor blade root using the filament winding technique for the very first time. At the same time, the blade root segment should be expanded into an integral component, which is also reflected by the external structure of the aerodynamic casing in the expanded area close to the root. This more industrialized manufacturing procedure for rotor blades, a coordinated component design, and improvements to the logistics processes are aimed at identifying potential savings and achieving an overall improvement in quality. BMWi, 01/2017 - 12/2019

Wind UC

The primary objective of the “WindUC” project is to develop mathematical models of the next generation of wind turbines for use during the control unit design phase. In a second phase, these models will then be used to modify or redesign and test advanced control algorithms. The suitability of the novel procedures is then to be tested using real-time simulations. BMWi, 04/2015 - 03/2019